The Minnesota Golden Gophers Are Standing at the Crossroads

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have some soul-searching to do this week.

Should All-American Candidate wide receiver Eric Decker miss this weekend’s game against Michigan State? Should red-shirt freshman Marquis Gray replace Junior and third year starter Adam Weber as Quarterback? Can the Gophers finish above .500 if Decker is not able to play? 

The Gophers season has not turned out how they had planned. Instead of being 6-2 or better with a possible sunny and warm Jan. 1 bowl game invitation in their grasp, the Gophers stand at 4-4 and unless they beat Michigan State this weekend they are likely headed to cold Detroit to play in the Motor City Bowl the day after Christmas.

The last two games, the Gophers had a chance to make a statement playing Penn State and Ohio State. Unfortunately, it was the Nittany Lions, 20-0, and the Buckeyes, 38-7, doing all the talking in beating the Gophers. 

The Gophers are at the crossroads of their season. 

After the Spartans, the Gophers have Illinois, South Dakota State and Iowa. It is difficult to imagine any scenario where the Gophers beat the Hawkeyes this season.

Assuming that Iowa beats the Gophers in the finale, the best that the Gophers can finish is 7-5. Alternatively, a loss this weekend followed by a stumble against Illinois or South Dakota State and the Gophers are home for the holidays.

Which way will the Gophers season turn?

Eric Decker finished the Ohio State game on crutches after injuring his ankle.   Yesterday, Coach Tim Brewster did not sound optimistic about Decker’s chances to play this Saturday against Michigan State.

The upside of a hobbled Decker playing against the Spartans is that the Gophers win to defeat the Spartans, finish 7-5 and play in the Alamo Bowl. The downside is that Decker that aggravates his ankle and becomes a non-factor the rest of the season as the Gophers lose three of their last four games failing to become bowl eligible.

The risk outweighs the reward, Decker shouldn’t play this weekend.

Minnesota fans were hoping for a big season for Adam Weber. In his second year as a starter, Weber had 15 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions in passing for 2,761 yards.  Weber was expected to compete for All Big Ten first team honors.

Weber however has not lived up to the hype. 

Weber has only six touchdown tosses and is on pace to throw for only 2,156 yards.  Most troubling however are Weber’s turnovers, 11 interceptions and three lost fumbles. 

Gray had success in limited action against Ohio State in the first half and led the Gophers to a late fourth quarter touchdown against the Buckeye’s second string defense.  Gray is probably not as polished of a passer as Weber because of his lack of experience but he is clearly more of a running threat. 

Both Weber and Gray have split snaps at Quarterback over the past several weeks.  However, after the loss in Columbus, many fans were calling for Weber to be benched in favor of Gray.

Should Coach Brewster give the keys to Gray in ushering in a new era?

There are three important facts. First, the Gophers have only eight passing touchdowns and Decker has caught five of them and threw one to Gray after taking a pitch from Weber. 

Second, Decker has 758 receiving yards whereas the Gophers team has only 847 rushing yards. Thirdly, Gray has best rushing average at 6.5 than any Gopher on the team with more than 20 carries.

The Gophers should continue to alternate using both Weber and Gray at Quarterback position and should run several plays with both of them on the field.

Minnesota has few weapons beyond Decker and they will need for both Weber and Gray to have solid performances to offset Decker’s absence.

Without a win this weekend, the Gophers appear destined to finish 6-6. The Gophers, however, can beat the Spartans this week without Decker. The keys for success for the Gophers this week are relatively simple.

First, the offense has to stop turning the ball in Minnesota territory forcing the defense to defend a short field. Against Ohio State, the Gophers turned the ball over three times inside their own 35 yard line. The Buckeyes capitalized on the mistakes by scoring two touchdowns and a field goal.

Second, the Gophers need to eliminate their penalties. In their last three losses, Minnesota has been penalized 22 times. In their last two wins, Minnesota has committed only five penalties. Three or fewer penalties will bode well for the Gophers. 

In addition, as discussed above the Gophers will need to have solid performances from playmakers Weber and Gray.

Finally, the Gophers will need to make some of their own luck through a trick play, scoring on defense or making an outstanding play on special teams.

In their four wins this season, the Gophers have either scored a touchdown on special teams, scored a touchdown on defense or the offense has scored a touchdown going less than 20 yards as a result of the defense creating a turnover in the red zone.

The Gophers have not unveiled a gadget play in several weeks.  The time seems ripe for a trick play. The Spartans will likely anticipate a pass back to Gray but would they expect a pass to Weber?  Double reverse?  Maybe, a hook and ladder play seeing how well it worked against Iowa?

The Gophers need to create some “luck” this weekend.

Is it 7-5 and bowl bound for the holidays with a win over the Spartans? Or is it flirting with failing to become bowl eligible at 4-5 going into to the next two weeks?

This week’s game against the Spartans will tell us which direction the Gophers are headed this season.  Fans will likely be treated to a battle that will be undecided until the last few minutes of the game.